Extramarital Affairs Statistics

While statistics suggest that on an average 60 percent of men and 40 percent of women resort to infidelity, the actual figure is expected to be way beyond these numbers.

Almost everybody out there swears by monogamy, but that doesn't mean every one abides by the same; at least, this is the picture that extramarital affairs statistics portray. These statistics are helpful in getting rid of some of the age-old myths about affairs. For instance, they reveal that infidelity is as common in happy marriages―if not more than―as it is in unhappy marriages.

Statistics of Extramarital Affairs

If you were of the opinion that 90 percent of people in the society who advocate monogamy abide by it, you are in for a big surprise. The statistical data given below will give you a clear picture about the prevalence of infidelity in our society.

A survey by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago revealed that at least 25 percent of the men and 17 percent of the women admit that they have indulged in an extramarital affair at some or the other point in their life.

The fact that approximately 80 percent of the marriages are affected by infidelity, refutes the age-old claim that people opt for extramarital affairs only due to marital problems.

The sexual behavior studies in the United States put forth a diverse picture of adultery, with statistics suggesting that the number of men indulging in affairs oscillating between 25 to 75 percent.

The repercussions of these affairs are quite grievous in themselves, as statistics suggest that only 35 percent of the marriages can survive the trauma associated with it, while the remaining 65 percent end with a divorce.

The instances of women cheating on their husbands are more in young women as compared to women who are above 40. That cannot be said in case of men though, with the percentage of men indulging in adultery being more or less similar in all age groups.

Around 24 percent of the men involved in adultery are the ones who are married for 8 to 16 years. Surprisingly enough, around 16 percent of the extramarital affairs take place in the first year of marriage itself.

The fact that only one in every five relationships ends up with a marriage adds to the number of extramarital affairs, as many a time men as well as women continue their love affair even after the marriage.

A study published in the Journal of Sex Research revealed that 98 percent of the men and 89 percent of the women have sexual fantasies about some person other than their spouse. The prevalence of the same increases when the partners are separated by distance.

Extramarital affairs are not just restricted to physical involvement, as a number of men and women are known to resort to other means such as cyber affairs or emotional affairs. Approximately 90 percent of the people who resort to cyber affairs get addicted to it in course of time.

Yet another interesting facet of these statistics is the gut feeling. Around 85 percent of the women who feel that their partner is cheating on them are right, while the same percentage in men is 50 percent.

It has been proven time and again that the practices that are considered taboo attract more attention than they actually deserve. Though these numbers are shocking, the actual number of people who indulge in such affairs is expected to be higher, as a large number of extramarital relationships are never discovered.